Information for LLM/SJD Students

General Policies

Each year, Tulane Law School awards a number of partial scholarships or tuition waivers to full-time LLM candidates with superior academic credentials. Most go to international candidates enrolled in the various full-time LLM programs.  The Maritime Law Center does have funding available for both U.S. and international full-time LLM in Admiralty candidates.

Funding for SJD candidates in the form of scholarships or tuition waivers is extremely limited.  Because the program is a small one with already discounted tuition, additional aid in the form of a scholarship or tuition waiver is generally not available.

Scholarships and tuition waivers cover a portion of tuition.  They do not cover living expenses.  Scholarship and tuition waiver funding is limited, and competition for the awards is keen. In order to be considered for an award of these funds, candidates must complete and submit the Financial Aid Data and Scholarship Application Form, along with the application form for admission. Students are strongly urged to investigate alternate sources of funding early in the application process.

Students who are US citizens or who have permanent resident status in the United States may be eligible to borrow through the major loan programs available to law students--Federal Direct Student  Loans (unsubsidized and Graduate PLUS).  Eligible candidates interested in these programs must file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  For additional information about application procedures, see the JD Financial Aid section of this website, or contact the Law School Financial Aid office at 504.865.5931 or finaid@law.tulane.edu.

International candidates who have a US citizen co-signer may be eligible for a private educational loan.  Sources of financial aid available to international candidates might include Tulane Law School partial scholarships or partial tuition waivers (see below, under Scholarships) and numerous sources of outside funding, for example, the Fulbright Foundation, IIE, foreign governments, and other foundations.  Tulane, of course, has no control over these outside funding sources. It is up to the individual student to seek out such sources.

Information on Private Loan Lenders for International Students with a U.S. citizen co-signer (typically needed) can be found here  https://financialaid.tulane.edu/types-of-aid/loans/private-alternative. 

The Law School funds a limited number of positions as research assistants or library assistants, typically at the rate of $7.00 per hour for no more than 15 hours per week.  A research assistant position might take the form of doing scholarly research for an individual professor or teaching a foreign language course at the Law School or Business School.  These positions must be arranged by the student directly with the library or with the faculty  member in charge. 

Graduate Loans

A limited number of Law School loans are made to qualified students in situations in which other loan programs may not be available. Law School Loans are based on need and availability of funds, and are generally made in amounts of $2,000 or less.  A description of the terms is available from the Law School Financial Aid Office.

Also available in limited circumstances are small ($175) short-term loans designed to provide for emergencies that arise during the academic year.  Repayment is required by the end of the semester in which these loans are made, and only one emergency loan per student can be made in each academic year.

Graduate students who are neither US citizens nor US permanent residents do not have eligibility to apply for US federal educational loans.  However, several US private educational lenders allow application by such students if they obtain a cosigner who is a US citizen or US permanent resident.  Please read the section on the right-hand side of this page entitled, "Information for Applicants Neither U.S. Citizens Nor U.S. Permanent Residents" for more information about these loans.

With a credit-worthy co-borrower, a student can borrow up to the cost of attendance.  Tulane determines the borrower's maximum loan eligibility based on the Cost of Attendance, less any other financial aid received.

LLM Scholarships

Applicants to the various LLM programs who demonstrate particular academic strength may be awarded scholarships or tuition waivers of between $5000 and $20,000 toward tuition and fees at Tulane Law School.  Most offers are made to international candidates, although scholarships to the LLM Admiralty program are made to U.S. candidates as well as international candidates.  Scholarship offers are generally made at the same time the offer of admission is extended, or shortly thereafter.  The exception to these general rules is that scholarships to the LLM in Admiralty program, including the Maritime Law Fellowship, are generally made in the late spring after offers of admission have been made.

List of Scholarship Funds for LLM Students

  • General-purpose scholarships or tuition waivers
    These awards are made to candidates in all programs. Half of the annual award is credited directly to the student's university account at the beginning of each semester. Approximately one-third of the international LLM students enrolled at Tulane Law School receive partial scholarships or tuition waivers.
  • Maritime Law Fellowship
    The Maritime Law Center at Tulane Law School each year awards one or two graduate fellowships in maritime law. The graduate fellows assist the director of the Center while pursuing the LLM in Admiralty on a full-time basis at Tulane. The Fellows' duties, which occupy approximately 25 percent of their time, include assistance in research, the development of teaching materials, and the preparation of seminars in maritime law. The fellowships carry partial tuition waivers. Individuals interested in the Maritime Law Fellowship must first apply for and be offered admission to Tulane's LLM in Admiralty program. Accepted candidates will be notified of their admission and will then be considered for the Fellowship. Announcement of the Fellowship recipient(s) is generally made in late April or May.
  • Harry F. Stiles Jr. Scholarship
    This scholarship fund was endowed in 1999 through the bequest of Mrs. Beryl Whiteman Stiles in memory of her husband, who received both his BA and LLB degrees from Tulane University. Mr. Stiles was a partner in the New Orleans firm of Deutsch, Kerrigan & Stiles and was a respected specialist in admiralty and oil and gas law. The proceeds of the Stiles Fund are used for scholarship support of deserving students who have manifested a special interested in maritime law. Substantial awards are made from this fund to outstanding LLM in Admiralty candidates.
  • Ferdinand F. Stone Graduate Scholarship
    This scholarship, awarded periodically to an outstanding candidate in comparative law, was established by the faculty of Tulane Law School in honor of Ferd Stone. Professor Stone, who died in 1989, joined the Tulane law faculty in 1937 and was the first director of the Institute of Comparative Law.
  • Geoffrey Brice Scholarship
    This scholarship was endowed in 2005 by Dr. Nuala Brice and friends as a memorial to honor the many civic and professional contributions of her late husband, Geoffrey Brice, Q.C. The income from the fund is used to provide scholarship support for a student from the United Kingdom who is pursuing the LLM in Admiralty at Tulane Law School. Geoffrey Brice, Q.C. was instrumental to the academic advancement of admiralty and maritime law at Tulane Law School as a Visiting Professor of Maritime Law from 1989 to 1998. In his commitment to Tulane, he provided his students with a conscientious and intellectually inquisitive approach to teaching. More than just a visiting professor, Geoffrey Brice offered advice, lectures, and even employment recommendations through his efforts with the Maritime Law Society. He was also a key member of the University's London Planning Committee for Tulane Law School's British Maritime Association Conference, and an active member of the Permanent Advisory Board of the Tulane Admiralty Law Institute.

    An internationally acclaimed and respected expert in admiralty law and practice, Mr. Brice's professional credits are modestly summarized as "one of her Majesty's Counsel, a Master of the Bench of the Middle Temple, a Deputy High Court Judge (Admiralty and Commercial Courts), Recorder of the Crown Court, Leader of the Admiralty Bar, Lloyd's Salvage Arbitrator, Adviser to the United Kingdom Government Delegation at the Legal Committee of the International Maritime Organization, and Visiting Professor of Maritime Law at the University of Natal, South Africa." Educated at Magdalen College School, Brackley, and University College, London, Mr. Brice was also the author of Maritime Law and Salvage.

List of Outside Funding Resources for International Students

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